Berlin Model United Nations

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Special Conference

We are Matt Freeze from Xaverian High School, New York, and Carl Kuehl from the John F. Kennedy School, Berlin, and we will serve as your Presidents this year. In order to aid you in your research and preparation for BERMUN, we will hereby briefly elaborate on this year’s topics.

Please research both topics elaborately, since you will only benefit from the conference if you invest some time and effort into its preparation. Every delegate is required to draft at least one resolution on one of the topics and some additional clauses for the other topics. Ideally, you should write a resolution on all topics, since a debate is only productive and fun if every delegate contributes to the discussion.

We realize that collecting information on some of the issues will present difficulties. If you run into problems or have any questions concerning our committee, the resolution process, or the conference in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us on Facebook or via e-mail. We are always eager to help. Another great reference is the BERMUN Forum (http//forum.bermun.de/). It includes a special section for the Special Conference, where you can meet fellow delegates and start lobbying and exchanging ideas. We strongly encourage the use of the forum, since it’s the ideal tool for research, lobbying, and getting to know each other.

Please be aware that the topic descriptions below do not in anyway substitute for your research. On top of what you will read below, you should conduct extensive research on both of the issues!

Looking forward to meeting you in November,
Carl Kühl and Matthew Freeze
Presidents of the Special Conference

Combating the threat posed by contagious diseases in a global environment

In reviewing the effects contagious diseases had on the world, it is evident that uncontrolled migration, a lack of hygiene, and a paucity of medical expertise contribute to the indefinate spread of these diseases.

While considering the hygiene standards in certain countries around the world, it appears plausible that cholera is still a menace to Lesser Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) who have failed to install sanitary systems over the past decades. This disease is normally transmitted via contaminated water or food. Although it is relatively easy to cure this disease, many countries still fail to provide aid against the cholera. In fact the mortality rate of patients who receive treatment is less than 1%, whereas the mortality rate can rise up to 60% if there is no treatment. In 2008, the country of Zimbabwe was hit hard by a cholera epidemic which resulted in about 4,300 deaths.

In 2009, a new strain of influenza virus surfaced, called the H1N1 virus. Following its outbreak in Mexico, the World Health Organization (WHO) soon declared it to be a global pandemic. During this outbreak, about 200,000 cases of the so called swine flu surfaced throughout the world. Although the virus was labeled as “moderately severe” by the WHO, it still caused 2,000 deaths. The main issue in countering the spread of this influenza virus was the fact that it was “close to impossible to prevent its spread in a globalized world (WHO)”. Soon, airports throughout the world installed infrared cameras in order to identify travellers who were already infected. While considering how fast the swine flu around spread around the world, harsher measures need to be applied, in order to stop future diseases from swelling and circulating in the entire world.

Keeping these examples in mind, it has gotten clear that in order to contain pandemics of contagious diseases in the future, it is imperative to provide good infrastructure and to control the effects of globalization.

Research Links

Containing the political and economic effects of global financial crises on less economically developed countries

At this point during the financial crisis, most Lesser Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) are in great danger, not only because the More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) have ceased their expenses to fund developmental aid, but furthermore because the situation of domestic banks in LEDCs is in jeopardy due to the fact that most of them are highly dependent on their partners in MEDCs. One issue at hand for example is the global food shortage which has been fueled by the financial crisis. Although food prices have stayed relatively steady over the past year, over 100 million more people will go hungry every day in 2009 than in 2008. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this is not the results of poor harvest but furthermore the result of a weak economic situation. The FAO stated that due to this crisis, many sources of income for developing countries will not be available to LEDCs in the near future. These include foreign direct investment, foreign aid, and international trade, which are all expected to undergo severe declines.

While many might believe that direct aid for LEDCs will improve the situation of these countries during this recession, there are many red flags to keep in mind while promising such aids. While determining which countries are in need of aid it is crucial to take a closer look at the circumstances such such as depth of financial markets and reliance on external (private) capital flows, means that generalizations should be avoided. Others are the degree of participation in global capital markets, depth of domestic capital markets and, particularly, the influence of foreign investors in the country.

Finally, it is necessary to emphasize that until now, the financial crisis hasn’t hit the LEDCs as hard as the MEDCs. The main obstacle now is to ensure that the MEDCs keep up with the commitments they made to the LEDCs in various treaties and uphold the financial aid. If this is not ensured, LEDCs could face major problems in the future and make them even more vulnerable to the current financial crisis.

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Global rules and standards for trade to ensure equitable global development

The nature of capitalism is such that there is a competition between different business interests. In one sense, capitalism is the application of survival of the fittest tenet of the theory of evolution to economics. One result of this competition between companies is that one company succeeds at the expense of another company. This practice is acceptable within limits when practised domestically, but causes certain ethical problems when applied to international trade. Whether by luck or by circumstance, some countries are better equipped to cheaply produce goods that can be exported across the world. Less developed countries may also have the ability to produce the same product, but at a higher price. Capitalism is an economic system, not a political system.

Where international trade is concerned politics becomes a factor. On the international level, the game changes. There is still a loyalty to nations and a firm belief in the tenets of capitalism, but on the international level means must be established by which all countries can develop, rather than true capitalism, which would allow for one or more countries to succeed economically while others fail. Encouraging global development has become one of the primary concerns of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). ECOSOC was critical in the success of the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development, which culminated in the Monterrey Consensus, an agreement that focused on financing development. More recently, however, at the second Annual Ministerial Review, ECOSOC adopted a new Ministerial Declaration, which focused on implementing goals with regard to sustainable development.

Jesus Christ is sometimes quoted as saying that it was a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. The same can be said of economics on the national level. Without a firm financial base, countries cannot adequately grow and develop. Although goals have been set to promote global development, much more can be done to level the playing field for all involved.

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News:

2009-07-05: Form Downloads

Form II

2009-06-17:

2009-06-01: Form Downloads

Youth Assembly Application Form 2009

2009-05-21: Form Downloads